Gale Goes Crazy
by iamAnnabethJackson
Summary: This takes place after Mockingjay. Gale hasn't seen Katniss for 5 years and is going mentally insane without her. and her love But when he finally finds her in District 12 he's in for a shocking surprise...
1. The Kiss

Gale Goes Crazy

Part 1: The kiss

(This story is dedicated to Gale lovers)

~Gale~

I take a deep breath, as I step off the train. The air smells like pine with a scent of dying things. I take my time getting to the woods. There is no guarantee that she will be there. She could be dead for all I know. Just at the thought, a pain shoots through my chest. She can't be dead. If Katniss is dead, I'm as good as dead.

After a while, my slow tread breaks into a run.

_Please be there; please be there _I think over and over again.

It's the beginning of spring, perfect hunting weather. She _has _to be hunting. Surely she's gotten over the whole "killing Prim" theory by now. I grasp onto this hope like nothing before. Then I think the thought I have been fighting ever since I decided to get on the train. I run faster, and faster avoiding what is probably true. Avoiding the main reason it's taken me this long to come to 12 in the first place.

_She could have chosen Peeta, _I finally admit to myself. The thought makes me stop. Peeta, the boy with the bread. Images flood my head. The first reaping when they called his name. Katniss and him in the cave. The moments of extreme pain I felt when she kissed him. Again and again and again. I think back to the Victory Tour and Peeta's proposal and how even though it was supposedly just an act, how real it seemed. And then the Quarter Quell. Them. On the beach. That was worst of all. I could deal with the cave. I could deal with the Victory tour. But that' when the TV went off. That's when I walked away. The way she was kissing him…well it doesn't take a genius to figure out she's in love with him. But then, things got complicated. Peeta gets captured. We go back to 13. And for a few brief moments, I feel alive again. When we were in the woods of district 2, alone at last, I kissed her and she kissed me back. But it didn't feel right. It didn't feel real. And that's when I gave up. I secretly let her go.

Then why am I here? If I have honestly, turely, let her go, why am I back here, trying to win her back?

Because I'm still in love with her. I never gave up. I never let go. How can I? How can I forget about everything we had? The bond, the trust? A twig snaps and I'm lurched back into the present. In my haste, I've gone on autopilot and am at our special place. I look around, somehow expecting her to be here. I start to walk in circles loosing myself in memories of her.

~Katniss~

I can't let him see me. He'll flip out. My hand goes down to my stomach. I feel the smooth, round bump, that seems to grow larger every minute.

_Why is he here? _I ask myself. _He has to know that I don't want to see him._

I duck behind some more bushes. The position is extremely uncomfortable given the fact I'm carrying a lot of extra weight. After a few minutes I can't stand it, and stand up. Bad idea. Standing before my eyes, is the one person in the whole world I don't want to see. Gale.

~Gale~

As soon as she stand s, my mouth drops open. "She's here, she's alive!" I want to scream. Before I can register everything, I run to her. I scoop her up in my arms.

"I've missed you so much, Katniss," the words tumble out in a rush. "I can't live without you."

She starts to struggle and push me away. At first I don't understand why. Then I see when I step back. She's holding her stomach protectively as if maybe she had something to hide. Tears prick her eyes. She looks distraught. Finally I make the connection. She's pregnant.

_I'm an idiot! A complete idiot!_

"I should have known," I manage to whisper. "I'm too late."

"I'm sorry," she croaks. "I didn't want you to see me. I knew it would hurt you."

I don't know what to say. I stumble on words. "I…I…I seem to recall you saying you never wanted to have kids." I stutter out.

"Well it's a different world now and…well you know how persuasive Peeta can be." she says quietly.

We stand there very awkwardly. I can't just walk away. Not after I've seen her.

_What can I say, what can I say?_

"You know, I was going to make my move that day. The reaping day. That night, afterwards. " I say after about 3 minutes of awkward silence.

"What?" she's sounds surprised.

"I was going to tell you…tell you how much I…well never mind. I'm too late. 10 years too late." I finish.

"No, tell me. It's ok," Katniss soothes.

"Tell you how much I loved you. How much I _still _love you." I can't believe I'm saying this to her, but I am. "I should have told you that morning but…you brought up the fact that you never wanted to have kids so…I figured that probably wasn't the best time." I finish, lamely.

She starts to cry and slumps down against a tree. I want to comfort her but I don't think I can. This is too much for me. Too much for anyone…

~Katniss~

I can't believe this. I just can't believe it. What am I supposed to do now? Just run away from Gale and go back to Peeta's comforting embrace? I can't do that to Gale. Not now. Not after his confession. The guilt I somehow feel is overwhelming and I slump to the ground. Tears start coming and they can't stop. Everything I have ever felt for Gale hits me like a ton of bricks and I cry harder. I'm unaware of the conflict Gale is struggling with. I slowly raise my head and see him awkwardly standing there unsure of whether to console me or not. This is not like Gale. He is always sure of himself. My baby has thrown him off.

_He wasn't expecting this, _I think. _He came to get me back, not knowing I already chose…_

Suddenly, I rise to my feet. I wipe the tears away.

"You're right. You are too late," I say, anger entering my voice. "You should have thought of that before you killed my sister!" I scream at him. Once I start screaming I can't seem to stop.

~Gale~

Even though she is screaming and yelling and hating me, she looks beautiful. Her long, dark braid blows in the wind, the soft gray eyes I've looked at a million times seem to call my name. Her face is glowing in the afternoon light. And so, for the moment, I lose control of myself. I lose the ability to reason. I'm so desperately lonely I can't stand it.

I grab her face in my hands and kiss her right then and there. Just like I did so many years ago. Right in the middle of whatever she was going on about. The sensation is so real, so vivid, but it seems like a dream. It's been so long. So long since I've been with her I'm sure it can't be real. She struggles at first, but for some reason gives in. Maybe she feels it too. The long lost connection that has resurfaced. When I finally begin to think that I have her back, that even though she's obviously carrying Peeta's child, I somehow won her over. But then, she steps back gives me one last look, and barrels me into a tree.

~Katniss~

I struggle at first, but I'm quickly pulled in. I seem to be in some kind of trance. Hypnotized almost .to the point where we are the only 2 people in the entire world. I feel like I'm on the morphing again. My thoughts sneak back into the recesses of my mind, pulling out random memories. Suddenly, I'm back at my house in the Victor's Village. Peeta and I are in the living room huddled together in the middle of the night. I'm weeping quietly, unable to get the nightmare out of my head.

"Shh…its ok Katniss, I'm here. I'm always here," Peeta says, trying to comfort me.

I brush my tears away and try to be brave for once. We sit in silence, listening to the sounds of the night, watching the dying embers of the fire. I'm almost asleep when Peeta abruptly gets to his feet, and pulls me up beside him. He tilts my chin up to his face and I stare into those big blue eyes. His lips aren't smiling, but his eyes are, and it looks like his face is glowing in the moonlight. Without warning, her leans down and kisses me. My arms go around his neck and I melt away. And once again, I feel an emotion that I have only felt once or twice before. Love. You could argue and say that I loved Prim. That I loved my father. But this is the unconditional love. The romantic love. Something I never thought I was capable of. Then, as if reading my thoughts, he pulls away and whispers in my ear, "You love me, Real or not?"

My ears bring back the sound of my voice saying "Real." Real. Real. Real. It echos in my ears and bounces in my brain. Right on cue, my conscience shoots a pang of guilt all through my body. It starts in my chest then spreads to my arms and down to my toes. The guilt swallows me whole. Betrayal. Now I know what it feels like to betray someone.

When I can stand no more, I pull back from Gale and take one look at his questioning eyes that seem to ask "What's wrong?"

_You're wrong_, I think. _You are so very, very wrong._

I muster up all the strength I can and shove him into a tree, knocking him to the ground.

~Peeta ~

I am running. Faster and faster. I can hear her voice echoing through the trees. She's screaming horrible things. Things I've never heard her say before. I slow down as I get closer to her voice. When I finally see where she is, I duck down behind some bushes. I peek my head out to the side just a little to see who her victim is. I swallow hard. Gale's back.

_Just when my life was getting perfect_, I think.

I'm about to step in and save Katniss the trouble of cussing him out, when he does the unthinkable. He grabs her head and kisses her. My heart stops. Literally, my heart stops. I watch in horror as Katniss lets him. I want to back away, to look away and never look back. But something holds me there. I want to see how far it will go. But the fact that Gale has the nerve to come back to 12 after all these years and start making out with my_ pregnant_ wife, disturbs me so much I just have to look away. CRASH!

I stand up. Gale is lying on the ground moaning in pain. It's all I can do not to laugh. I look over at Katniss who starts to cry. I walk over to her and guide her to a small little clearing we sit down and she crys even more.

"It's ok Katniss, it's over, you're ok," I tell her.

"Please don't hate me." She gets out, in between sobs.

"I could never hate you." I reply.

"But…I…shouldn't have let him…do that!"

"I thought it was very nicely handled, Katniss," I say with a smile.

She stops crying and wipes her eyes. "Really?"

"Absolutely"

She looks up at me and smiles her big beautiful smile. I hear footsteps approaching and look up to find Gale looming overhead fists clenched, eyes narrowing. I rise to my feet so we're eye level.

"What's your problem, Gale? Why can't you just leave us alone? I won, alright? Whatever contest you and I ever had over Katniss is over. So why don't you just leave?"

Gale slowly raises a clenched fist. It's the perfect time to taunt him.

"Go ahead, hit me. I know you want to. Even though it will hurt Katniss…" I say, very tauntingly.

Katniss jumps up in between us.

"Stop it both of you! You're acting like morons!" she yells.

Gale shifts his penetrating stare to Katniss and says, "I'm sorry it had to be this way. I'm sorry I never told you. I really am sorry."

He turns and stalks away.

~Gale~

I walk away. I turn and just walk away. When I'm sure they can't see me, I run away. I run, I scream, I cry, I hallucinate. This is a nightmare. A very bad nightmare.

_Why did he have to show up? Does he like, stalk her? The only reason she die that was because of him_! I think bitterly.

I take out my hatred of Peeta on a tree. Ripping off bark, leaves, anything. AHHHHHHH! My screaming echoes all around me. I hate. I despise. I love. I go through all the emotions I have ever felt until only one remains. Despair. I sink to the ground and lash about wanting the pain to go away and then, the last thing I remember is the needle going into my arm.

** This is my first story that I've put on here and I hope you all like it. PLEASE tell me what you think and if you like it i will type the rest of the story. Its in 3 parts. This is Part 1/chapter1. PLEASE REVIEW! THANKS**

**cloveisaninja**


	2. Morphling

Part 2 – Morphling

~Gale~

The purpose of the drug morphling is to eliminate pain. Physical or mental. I heard that it helped Katniss pull through in District 13. It helped her in both ways. Many victors turn to morphling after they win-to try and settle the pain of remembering. I've had it myself. It was my savior after I got whipped. But then, I was taking it for physical, torturous pain.

Now, Delly has me on it once again, trying desperately to ease my aching heart. This pain is worse than when I was whipped. Much worse. There is no drug to erase this pain. The pain of depression.

I open my eyes and sit up on my cot. I've only been here for a few days, but it feels like forever. Ever since Delly Cartwright found me screaming in the woods, I've been getting a steady stream of morphling. The first day it was non-stop into my bloodstream. She knew she had to calm me down before anything else could be done. The second day, I got 3 or 4 injections, and today it seems like I have just woken up from my first shot.

"Good morning, Gale!" Delly says cheerfully, as she enters the room. I've only seen her a few times before either in school or just around. I seem to recall her always hanging around the bakery. She was always smiling. Always laughing. As if trying to hide the horrible world we lived in. (_still_ live in) She smiles at me now, but there's something in those big blue eyes that tell me she is sad. I look around at my surroundings the room looks vaguely familiar. It feels familiar.

Delly comes over to me holding a tray of food.

"Are you hungry?" she asks.

"Uh…yeah…I guess," my voice sounds unfamiliar…it sounds hollow.

She places the tray on my lap. I look at the food. There's a small bowl of oatmeal, an orange, some milk, and…bread.

"No, no I'm not hungry," I stare at the bread. Part of me wants to throw it as far away as possible, and the other part wants to crush it into 5 million pieces. But I doubt I would even be able to touch it.

"Are you sure? You haven't eaten in days." Delly replies.

I look up at her. She's staring at me intently with her striking blue eyes. Anger fills up in me. Blue eyes, bread, what else could remind me of that moron? That idiot baker who stole my girl?

The fire crackles. My head jerks towards that side of the room. Then I remember exactly where I am. I'm in the our cabin. This is where me and Katniss me up, when she told me she wanted to run away, when I told her I loved her…

"NOOOO!" I start howling as loud as I can. Making noises I've never heard before. Then I feel another needle.

~Katniss~

When I am finally all cried out, and my pillow is completely drenched in tears, I sit up on my bed. Peeta gave up on comforting me after about an hour and it's probably time for me to go talk to him. I find him downstairs sitting on the couch staring blankly into the fire.

"Peeta?"

"Yes, Katniss?"

"We need to talk about Gale,"

"Yes, I know,"

I walk over and sit down beside him.

"We have to go find him,"

Peeta continues to stare at the dancing flames. He looks thoughtful as if trying to carefully formulate each word in his mind before speaking.

"Katniss, we just got away from him. Why would you want to go find him?"

He still refrains from looking at me. I want to know so badly what he's thinking right now. But then again, I already know.

"Peeta, you don't have to be jealous. I just want to make sure he's okay,"

He whips his head around towards me.

"What makes you think I'm jealous? He's a creep, Katniss. A complete physco path,"

"This is exactly why we need to go find him! He could be living in a hole going into some depression!"

"Ok let's say we do find him. We find him back up in the woods somewhere barely hanging on to life. Then what? We bring him back here? Let him talk to you about his problems?"

"What's wrong with that?" I shoot back defensively.

"Well you would be at his mercy, because there is no way I'm gonna be around Gale. I can already feel the awkwardness."

"At his mercy? Peeta, he's not a serial killer,"

"No, but look at what happened today. He's obviously mad about…us and…the baby. But there's nothing we can do about it."

"We can make sure that he didn't go crazy. He looked pretty crazy today when he kissed me…or tried to."

"Katniss! What would you possibly say to him? He wants you, but he can't have you. The only thing you could say would be…"I love you"

We sit in silence for what feels like hours. I am shocked that Peeta has said this. It makes no sense.

"Do you want to know something?" I finally ask.

"What?"

"I've known Gale for a long time and I never once told him I loved him,"

Peeta smiles and leans towards me slightly.

"You kissed him," he says.

I smile back and lean in too.

"Kissed you first."

He chuckles. "Oh yeah…that's right…"

He closes the distance between us and his lips come down on mine hard.

It's another one of those moments when I feel a stirring deep down inside of me, and I realized what a wonderful father Peeta will be. I fill my mind with dreams of our future child running in meadows and singing sweet songs. And for the moment I completely forget about Gale.

~Delly~

When I'm sure that my little sister is asleep, I ever so slowly get up from the rocking chair and make my way over to Gale. I quietly sit myself down on the edge of the cot.

He seems so peaceful when he's sleeping. The complete opposite of the creature who wakes up. When he isn't sedated, he's either picking at the food we give, (that isn't bread-he freaks out if he sees it) or he's moaning and groaning about Katniss.

Katniss, Katniss, Katniss. That's all we ever hear. When I try to talk to him about what happened back in the woods, he just shakes his head and says "Katniss." Then he goes completely physco and I have to drug him.

Now I'm watching him sleep peacefully beside me. You would have never thought that days before, this boy had been hysterical in the woods. I lean over a little, and take his hand. It's rough and callused but warm and soothing. I want so badly to take the pain away. I wan't him to be in peace. To be happy. But I want to be happy, too. And if Gale's gone…where does that leave me?

I think back to my school days. How everybody always thought me and Peeta were meant to be together. Peeta was all right an di played along, glad for the attention. But only Autumn, my sister knew who I_ really_ had my eye on. And the only reason she knew was because she caught me staring at him in school one day. I was mad and embarrassed at first, but I relaxed after she promised not to tell. Autumn was like my best friend and I knew I could trust her. That's why it was a real piece of luck that she was with me the day I found him. Screaming in agony. She understood why I just _had_ to help him. Why every cry that escaped him hurt me as well as him.

"Katniss…" Gale's whisper startles me into the present. "I love you, Katniss."

"_Way to ruin the moment_," I think.

I was sick of hearing about Katniss. If she doesn't want him, he needs to get over it. I will gladly take him for her. For the first time, I actually fell jealous of Katniss. I always knew her and Gale went hunting together. But they never acted like there was some love affair going on. I wonder how long Gale has felt this way. I can't remember how long I have.

He stirs beside me, and I grip his hand tighter. Not willing to let him go.

"Shh…its ok I'm here…" I whisper. I brush some of his dark hair out of his eyes, with my freehand and they fly open. I don't move. I keep waiting for him to freak out or something, but he doesn't. Instead he sits up, and just stares at me with his big dark eyes. I'm not sure what to do, so I slowly untwine my fingers from his. I'm about to ease myself off the cot, when Gale grabs me in his arms and pulls me into his embrace. I'm overwhelmed by his scent and body heat. He's gripping me so tightly it's hard to breathe.

"It's ok, Gale. It's ok," I say soothingly. I can't believe he's actually…hugging me. He doesn't even know me. How could _I _be of comfort to _him_?

He loosens his arms from around my body, and pulls away to look at my face. His fingers trace my forehead and down to my cheekbones. They finger my long strands of blonde hair. One hand goes down my arm all the way to my wrist, leaving a trail of goose bumps behind. My heart starts beating faster and faster. I've never been touched like this before. Not by Gale not by anybody. I'm terrified and excited and anxious and thrilled all at the same time. I sit as still as a statue across from Gale, scared out of my mind. Without really realizing it, I start to tremble as Gale puts a hand under my chin and tilts it up toward his face, forcing me to look at him. This was happening way to fast. I was not expecting any of this.

"I…I'm not Katniss…" I manage to get out. "I'm …I'm not…who you think…"

"Shh…" Gale puts a finger to my lips. His eyes are glistening in the moonlight. Even in the dark Gale looks beautiful. He leans down and whispers in my ear, "I know."

The next thing I know, he's kissing me.


	3. Easing the Pain

Chapter 3: Easing the Pain

~Gale~

"Why are you doing this?" Delly whispers.

"Why do you think?" I ask.

"Because you're crazy," she answers with a smile and almost a giggle.

"Because I'm in serious pain right now and I'm so desperately lonely I can't stand it…and well…it seems that I'm losing my mind," I expect her to start laughing because I'm pretty sure its in her character to do that, but she stays quiet for a minute.

She takes my hand and says "I'm lonely too." And this time she kisses me first.

I'm really surprised how easy it is for us to do this. I mean after all, we don't' really know each other, and definitely don't _love_ each other.

But she's desperate and I'm desperate, so who cares? What do I possibly have to lose? Katniss hates me, Peeta hates me, I hate myself. So why not?

I tried to enjoy it. I tried to be happy. I tried to make the pain go away. It worked at first. It really did. But the longer it went on the more I thought about Katniss and how I wished it was her instead of Delly.

"Don't think about Katniss," I tell myself. "Think about right here, right now."

Then I hear a scream.

~Autumn~ (Delly's little sister)

I am shocked. I am terrified. I feel numb down to my toes. Somehow I manage to scream. Delly jerks her head up to look at me. I think I'm going to be sick. This makes no sense. _My _older sister is kissing a delusional man she found in the woods almost a week ago. My stomach starts to churn and I randomly start screaming again. Delly slowly eases herself way from Gale. I start shaking, unsure of what to do.

"It's ok Autumn. It's ok, don't be scared." Delly says as she walks over to me.

"Don't be scared? DON'T BE SCARED? What the? What the heck are you doing?" my voices rises in anger.

"Shh…you don't need to shout at me, " Delly puts a hand on my shoulder and guides me to the far side of the cabin.

"Autumn…I can explain,"

"Please do."

"Well…you see…the uh…the morphling wasn't working," her voice is hushed, like she only wanted me to hear her.

I gape at her wide eyed. I can't believe her. She's gone crazy too. I start shouting again.

"So drugging him wasn't enough for you? You had to start kissing him, too?"

"Autumn, this isn't about me. He is in serious pain right now-"

I cut her off. "So what Delly? So what? I could go stab him right now and he'd be in a whole lot more pain then any break-up could ever cause him!"

"Autumn how dare you! You have no idea-"

"No, how dare _you_! You've all gone crazy!" I scream.

I spin around and run as fast as I can out of the cabin. Away from Delly, away from the creeper who has serious issues. I have to go somewhere. I can't just wander in the woods.

_Where, where, where…._

Then it hits me. The Victors village. I'll stay in one of the empty houses, till' the creep leaves. And maybe I can sort some of this mess out with the Mellarks' while I'm at it…

~Delly~

I watch Autumn run out the door.

"Autumn wait," I say

I'm about to go after her, when I look over and see Gale. He's curled up in a ball, rocking back and forth on the cot. It looks like he's figting the urge to scream.

I run over to him and kneel down so we're eye level.

"Gale? Gale it's ok. I'm here. You're ok." I stroke his arm lovingly, urging him to talk to me. "Can you stay here for a minute? I'll be right back."

He grabs my wrist and holds it in his iron grip.

"Gale , I have to go get Autumn. Before…before she does something stupid."

He looks up at me. His eyes panicky and pleading. "Delly, I…"

I lay my hand on his shoulder. "you're fine. You're gonna be fine, I promise."

"No I mean, I just…" his voice trails off but he doesn't take his eyes off me.

"What?"

"I just…can't do it."

"Of course you can. I'll be back before you know it" I tell him, eager to get to my sister.

"No, Delly. I mean I can't…live like this."

I stare at him. I don't know what to say. But now it's my turn to be angry.

"Gale, you do anything while I'm gone, so help me!" I shout. I start to stand up and Gale stands up with me.

His fingers trace my face again and his voice is very quiet compared to mine.

"Shh…relax, Katniss."

Anger overwhelms me. "JUST SHUT UP Gale! SHUT UP!"

I shove him down and run after Autumn. Tears sting at my eyes. I'm an idiot. Of course he thought I was Katniss. Even though he said otherwise…of course he thought I was her. He's crazy. But the way he kissed me…well I had a glimmer of hope. But not now. Not ever. He doesn't love me. I probably don't love him. Do I? it was so nice kissing him. But maybe that was just because I've never really been kissed like that. Who knows? The world has gone crazy.

"Autumn? Autumn are you there?" I call for her, through my tears. I run and run through every clearing, every path screaming for my sister.

"Leave me alone." She says from far away. I can tell that she's been crying too.

"Autumn? Autumn where are you? Please come here!"

"No. I'm going to the Victors Village."

"Why? Please come here. Autumn I'm sorry."

"No you aren't. Just leave me alone. Her voice is a little closer and I can tell she is hiding.

"Autumn…how much…how much did you see?"

She sniffs. "All of it. I was never asleep."

_Wow. Just wow. Epic fail, Delly. Epic fail. _My little sister saw me kissing Gale. What a great example I'm setting.

"Autumn I-"

"Just forget it, Delly. I'm going to stay in one of the Victors houses until he leaves. He seriously freaks me out."

I hear the rustle of leaves and see her take off toward the village.

I'm too wiped out to follow her. I haven't slept all night. It has to be one or two in the morning. I turn around and decided it would be best to face Gale. I can't really blame him. He is practically dying inside…dying? _Dying! _I have a mental break down and frantically run to the cabin. I can't believe I left him alone. I actually left him _alone._


	4. KNIVES

Chapter 4: KNIVES )

***Note* So I'm pretty sure this is my favorite chapter besides my epic ending. I hope this proves that I'm ANTI Team Gale…..**

~Gale~

The knife feels cool on my skin. I love the way the blade makes clean slices through my tan complextion. The smell of blood fills the room as I ontuue to make smaill little cuts all along my arms.

_I deserve to die this way. Slowly and painfully…_

It doesn't hurt as bad as I thought it would, actually. The pain is sharp and searing but it helps me focus. It brings me out of the daze I've been sulking in for weeks. I mark a small 'K' on the back of my left hand. I make sure the cut is deep so I'll be sure to have a scare. I'm about to move to my chest, when Delly bursts through the door screaming her head off at me.

"NO! NO, NO, NO! Gale STOP!" Delly grabs the knife from my hand and tosses it behind her. She grabs my face and brings her mouth down on mine. Her kiss lasts forever and when she breaks away she says "I'll do whatever you want Gale just don't…just don't leave me!"

~Katniss~

I'm due in two weeks and I'm terrified. I've written to my mother because I'm too chicken to call her on the phone and tell her that I got myself pregnant. But I'm starting to doubt that she got my letter so…I guess I will have to call her.

I'm sitting on the couch staring at the phone, scared to pick it up. Peeta comes downstairs and sees me staring at the phone.

"Katniss, just call her. She's won't get mad at you. You're not gonna get in trouble." He says the last part teasingly.

"You know I hate asking for help," I tell him.

"Fine. I'll call her. But if you ask me, that's even more awkward," he says.

"No, I'll do it. It's my fault I'm in this mess anyway." I reply, as I pick up the phone.

Peeta rolls his eyes. "You'll thank me one day…" he mutters under his breath.

I dial the number and hold the phone to my ear. It rings forever and ever and ever. Finally she answers.

"Hello?" her voice sounds strange. I guess it has been awhile.

"Uh…hi mom." I say, slowly.

"Katniss? O my gosh! I haven't heard from you in so long…I was afraid…that you were mad at me." She says.

"Um…no I'm not mad." I answer-stalling.

"Well, how are you? I haven't seen you since the wedding. .how's Peeta?" she sounds a tad bit uncomfortable. Like she doesn't know what to say.

"He's fine mom. I just...well I'm in a bit of a situation here." I say. No looking at Peeta. He's probably laughing tight now. But I don't care. I just want to get this over with.

"What's wrong?" mom asks.

"I um…well…I…I'm about to have a baby. And I don't really know…well I'm not sure where…" I can't finish. I let my words sink in.

"WHAT? YOU'RE ABOUT TO HAVE A BABY! Why didn't you tell me? O my gosh! I can't believe you! DARN YOU KATNISS!" she is yelling at me. No, screamihng at me. I slowly lay the phone on my lap. I look up to find Peeta sprawled out on the other sofa laughing his head off, just like I thought. His laughter makes me mad for some reason and I grab up the phone.

"Mom, listen. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I was just…scared." I say.

But she isn't done freaking out. "O my gosh! How far along are you?"

"Um…8 months and 1 week."

"KATNISS! I'm coming right now. I should be there by Friday, the trains are fast, it should only take 2 days." She speaks quickly and urgently.

"Uh…ok mom. You don't need to freak out-"

"DON'T NEED TO FREAK OUT? Katniss, this is my grandchild! And you're my daughter! This is so wonderful!" and she hangs up.

"Well that went well," I say to no one in particular.

Peeta gets up from his laughing post and flops down beside me.

"Good job," he says. I can't quite place his tone of voice. I'm too stressed out to think straight.

"I hope we made the right decision," I tell him for the millionth time.

"Katniss, I'm not having the is conversation with you again."

I decide to just keep my mouth shut and we sit in a somewhat peaceful silence for a while, until I feel something.

"What the-?" my hand flies down to my stomach. Kicking, that's what I'm feeling. I've felt it before, but never this strong. I grab Peeta's hand and put it near the spot so he can feel it.

A huge smile breaks out across his face as he moves his hand with mine, feeling the small but powerful kicks.

"Does that hurt?" he asks, incredulously.

"No but it feels really creepy," I reply.

"I can't wait to see them," Peeta says, longingly. "I bet it'll be a girl and she'll look just like you."

I sigh. I could really care less what it looks like; I just want to get it out of me. I think Peeta's waiting for me to say something though, so I just give him my honest answer.

"You know Peeta, you're way more excited about this then me."

"I can tell, Katniss."

"Well you wanted this. Not me. I'm only doing this because I love you too much."

"Thank you."


	5. It's a Girl!

Chapter 6: It's a Girl

*********I'm really sorry I haven't updated in a while. What I originally planned for this chapter, I had to change because I didn't really make sense so here is my edited version! Review, review, review!**

~Autumn~

I finally, _finally_ force myself to get up. The sun is shining and a breeze blows from somewhere in the house. I probably left the door open when I came in. I ache all over from sitting in the same position 3 days straight, and my eyes hurt from sobbing so much and so hard. I've never cried like this in my life. Maybe some of Gale and my sister's craziness is rubbing off on me. A moan escapes my throat just thinking about them again, all alone in that cabin…who knows what Gale has done? Does he even still have the ability to reason? Does Delly? Love makes you do stupid things. And desperation makes you do even stupider things.

More questions fog up my brain as I step out of the empty house. I haven't eaten. I don't want to eat. I could care less about food right now. I just needed to talk to someone. My previous plan of going to the Mellarks' right away, fell apart as soon as I got to the village. I couldn't do it. I still couldn't do it. What was I supposed to say? 'My sister found a crazy man in the woods and started kissing him. Please help me.' But she's still my sister and I still need to help her.

So I walked as calmly as I could to the Katniss and Peeta's house. I even walked up the stairs. I even clenched my fist and put it up to the door, as if I was going to knock. I told my brain to move my hand back and forth, but it wouldn't comply. I couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it.

I spin around and go flying down the sidewalk looking for anywhere to hide. I wasn't ready to talk to them. I wasn't ready to talk to anyone. Even if I _had_ been sitting in an empty house for who knows how long? I reach the house-my house-but can't face the emptiness waiting inside. So instead I run to the big oak tree off to the side. Somehow, after many cuts and scratches, I get about 2/3 of the way up the tree. Then I start my hysterical crying again.

~Peeta~

"Why don't you get some fresh air, Peeta? You've been with me long enough." Katniss tells me.

"I'm not leaving your side," I reply.

"Peeta, you'll know when it's time. Just go for a walk or something, please. I can't stand to see you sitting around all the time."

"But-"

"Just go. I'll be fine. Mom's here anyways"

"Fine. But I'm not going far,"

I open the front door and walk out onto the porch. I'll have to admit it does feel good to feel the sun again. I guess I didn't realize how much I've been glued to Katniss lately. But she can't blame me. I'm just excited that's all. And a little stressed. Ok very stressed and worried and anxious. But that's normal.

I take advantage of my time outside and begin walking down the sidewalk. I wonder where Haymitch could be, which is really a dumb question because 99% of the time he's either drinking or hung over.

I walk by a few more houses that are empty and wonder how in the world they stay in such good shape when no one ever takes care of them. I guess the houses are capital mutations too.

I'm just about to pass the last house, when I hear crying. No-not crying, sobbing. Hysterical sobbing. I look around for the source and I don't see anyone. I walk into the yard and up the front steps. The door is open and I peek my head inside, but it's not coming from there. I go back to the yard and finally look up. There's a girl in a tree-crying. You don't see that every day.

"Are…are you okay?" I ask her-still pretty shocked. She jerks her head down towards me, obviously startled.

She stares at me for the longest time. "Why don't you come down?" I ask.

"You…you're…Peeta Mellark…you're the one…who…married Katniss…" she says in between hiccups. Then she starts slowly coming down, branch by branch.

I am so confused. "Uh…yeah…who are you?" I ask when she's on the ground.

"Autumn. Autumn Cartwright."

Whoa. That's weird. "Are you related to Delly Cartwright?"

She nods her head and it looks like she might start crying again. "Here let's sit down over here," I say as I guide her to the front porch.

"Now, what's wrong?"

She looks up at me in a strange way. Like she can't really believe that I'm here. "I don't know where to start," she says. "I just can't believe…it's you. I expected you to be some monster or something…."

"Just tell me what happened!"

"A few weeks ago my sister and I went on a walk in the woods. We found a man thrashing around on the ground screaming. Delly said his name was Gale. Gale Hawthorne, I think. We gave him some morphling and took him back to our cabin. Then…after about a week…I guess the morphling wasn't working so…"

"So…what?"

"Delly… she…well she kissed him. And he kissed her. And I just stood back and watched. Then I screamed and…I don't know. I just ran away. I was so mad that she would do that. I mean she doesn't even know him…as far as I know."

I just kind of sit there, gaping. Gale Hawthorne and Delly Cartwright. If that doesn't give me nightmares I don't know what will.

"Are you sure it was Gale?"

"Yes I'm sure. All he ever talked about was Katniss and how much he loved her."

"That evil…conniving son of a gun…I can't believe he's got the nerve to come here…" I mutter to myself.

"So are you going to help me? I can't just leave my sister all alone, under his influence. Who knows what he'll make her do." she says.

"There's nothing I can do. I can't just make him leave. He's the most persistent man I've ever known."

"There must be something-"

Agonized screaming cuts her off. I'm on my feet and running in 2 seconds flat.

"Where are you going!" she yells from behind.

"It's Katniss! Oh My Gosh, Katniss!"

Autumn follows behind me. "What, what? What do you mean?"

I burst through the front door and let Autumn in. I run up the stairs as fast as I possibly can. Katniss' mom is already there, ready to go. When she sees me and Autumn, she starts barking out orders.

"Peeta, go get towels from the closet." She turns to Autumn. "Do you know how to boil water?"

"Y…yes," Autumn stutters out.

"Well, go on. You'll find everything you need in the kitchen. What's your name again?"

"Au..Autumn…"

"Nice to meet you."

There's more screaming from Katniss.

"Go Autumn!"

2 hours later….after much running frantically around the house looking for stuff and agonized screaming…

"It's a girl! Oh my goodness, gracious! It's a baby girl!

***** Please review! I wasn't planning on telling anymore about Katniss and the baby, but if you'd like me to I will. I was just going to go back to Gale, but I might expand on this a little more. Tell me what you think!**


	6. Awaiting Fate

Chapter 7: Awaiting Fate

~Gale~

_So this is where I'm going to die. In the arms of a girl I barely know. _I think.

These days, I'm hardly even aware of what's going on. I can't eat. I can't sleep. The nightmares are too unbearable. Last nights' dream consisted of Katniss dying from child birth. But then I got to wring Peeta's neck, so I guess it wasn't _all_ bad.

Delly tries to comfort me. She really does try but I'm too far gone for it to do any good. The kissing helps…I guess. It makes Delly happy so maybe I'm not _completely _worthless.

I have a few brief moments of happiness here and there. Like yesterday morning when I woke up with Delly's head on my chest and the sun came shining through the window dancing on her golden hair. I felt like things might be okay. That maybe, just maybe it was possible to live without Katniss. But my mind is too flooded with memories of us hunting in the woods. Talking, laughing, being friends. Except I wanted more than that.

It's so strange thinking about what I had with Katniss-or more like, what I _thought_ I had with Katniss-and what I'm pretending to have with Delly. I'm starting to understand what Katniss went through in the Hunger Games. In that very first arena of death. She did what she had to do, to stay alive.

_But I don't want to stay alive._

Suddenly I'm shaking Delly awake. I am so overcome with anger and pain I start to shout.

"Where's the knife Delly? WHERE IS THE KNIFE?"

"Gale I'm not giving you-"

"WHERE IS IT?" I grab her shoulders and shake her senseless.

"It's…it's…under the floorboard by the window!" she screams back, in between sobs.

I run to the window, yank up the floorboard and pick up the big, sharp knife.

I randomly start to make deep slits in my legs and feet. Blood permeates the air, once again. But before I can make the fatal stab, my world goes dark and the morphling pulls me under.

~Delly~

I stare down at Gale's ashen face. I examine his cuts. He's lost a lot of blood, but I don't know what to do. All I can do is give him morphling. I try to find something to staunch the blood flow, and come up with a small towel. I fix him up the best I can with what little supplies I have. It won't do any good. I know I've lost him. Stupid, stupid, me. I'll be lucky if he ever wakes up.

I scream, I cry, I throw things. I don't know how long. Just however long it took to get it all out. I'm so angry. Angry at Gale. Angry at Katniss for letting Gale go. Angry at myself for not being able to stop him. Angry at Autumn for leaving.

_He won't die. _I think. _He'll pull through. _I tell myself this over and over, willing it to be true. But I know its not. Lies, they're all lies.

I sit beside Gale and await his fate. And mine.


	7. The Happy Ending

Chapter 8: The_ "_HAPPY" Ending

******* A/N: Ok so this is an extremely unrealistic ending, but an awesome one. If you have any ideas on how to make it better, PLEASE tell me! Btw- thank you so much to all who have reviewed so far. Especially ****Bluedog270****. (and ****hutcherwife****-I LOVED your review. I will forever remember Gale as a pansycake )**

~Delly~

"Delly…can you do one last thing for me before…?" Gale croaks out.

"Yes anything for you," I say lovingly. My hand strokes his cheek and he winces.

"Can I see Katniss…one last time?" he asks.

I hesitate. I really can't have him spazzing out in his condition. He's already on the verge of death as it is. He squeezes my hand. Tears fill my eyes. I have to do this for him. It would be a crime not to.

"Please?" his voice is barely a whisper.

"I'll be back as fast as I can," I tell him.

It takes me 20 minutes tops, for me to get to the victor's village. I'm full on sobbing by the time I reach the Mellark's doorstep. I knock on the door-loudly. Actually, I more like pound as hard as I can on the door. A baby starts to cry, a few doors slam. There's some shouting and cursing. _Finally _the door opens.

"What do _you_ want?" Katniss asks me very curtly.

So much for a warm welcome. Her brown hair is pulled into a messy side braid. Her angry eyes have dark circles under them. Obviously displaying her lack of sleep. Before I can answer her question, Peeta comes up behind her, holding a tiny baby in his arms.

"No need to be so rude Katniss, just chill out," Peeta says with a smile.

"Oh…um…well you see…Gale…" I can't finish. This is too hard.

"Delly?" a familiar voice asks.

"Autumn?" she pushes her way through Katniss and Peeta and gives me a big hug.

"Is everything okay? I was so worried about you! I didn't know what to do…."

"Would somebody _please_ tell me what is going on?" demands Katniss, who seems to _definitely_ be in a bad mood.

Autumn pulls away from me, then takes my hand and leads me inside. "We all need to talk," she says.

**** 30 minutes later at the cabin…****

~Katniss~

When I walk into the cabin, the first thing I feel is anger. Not sadness, not anxiety, anger. I turn to Delly who is now standing beside me.

"What. Happened!" I shout.

The room smells like blood and death. You would have thought I was back in the arena. Gale is lying on a cot, eyes closed, pale as a ghost. I run to him. No, more like lunge myself across the room.

"Gale? Gale?" I shake him awake.

"Wha- Katniss?" he tries to sit up, but seems too weak to do so.

"Shh…its ok I'm here…" I gently push him back to a laying position.

He grabs my hand and whispers my name to himself, over and over again. Tears stream down his face and I can feel that death is near. I look over my shoulder and narrow my eyes at Delly, who is _also_ crying.

"Get over here." I mutter through gritted teeth.

She quickly comes over to where I'm now sitting and kneels beside me.

"Please explain," I say harshly.

She whispers through her sniffles. "He got really depressed after he saw you. I found him in the woods and brought him here I had him on morphling for a while but...he um…wasn't getting any better."

"And…"

"So I um…well never mind. The point is he was so miserable he started cutting himself. I stopped him the first time but I endied up tellin him where I hid it and then there was a lot of blood and I didn't know what to do so I just gave him more morphling and…" she starts to sob and lays her head on Gale's chest, soaking his shirt with tears.

I'm too perplexed by all of this I just kind of sit there holding Gale's hand while he's dying.

I get up and carefully position myself on the cot so that Gale's head is in my lap. Slowly my tears come too. Flowing steadily down my face to his. After an eternity of crying, Delly picks her head up.

"Do you…_care_ about him?" she asks quietly.

Did she really just ask me that question while we're both sitting here crying our eyes out. The world truly has gone crazy.

"Do _you_?" I throw back.

"Of course I do. I begged him not to do this to himself," she says through blinding tears.

Gale's eyes flutter open and he looks up at me.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry," he whispers.

"You don't have to be sorry. It's ok…_you're_ ok, " I tell him.

"No…I…I'm sorry I couldn't make you happy."

"You _did_ make me happy Gale. You were the best friend anyone could ask for, "I say. "Please don't leave…"

He grips my hand tighter than ever. "Katniss?" he asks.

"Yes?"

"I will never find someone like you."

Delly runs screaming and crying out of the room but I'm barely paying attention.

"I love y-"

His eyes close and I watch the life slowly drain out of him. *(dramatic sigh)*

**OK so I know it's really cheesy, but I had to make it dramatic and funny at the same time (if that makes any sense) If you have any ideas for making it better, I'm always open for suggestions. **

**Thank you for reading and please review.**


	8. Epilogue

Epilogue

*****Warning: This chapter's pretty bad and depending on what you guys think, I may not keep it. The characters are extremely out of character, but this is how it is in my parallel universe . But I'll let you read it for yourself and you can tell me what you think.**

~Peeta~

"So…uh…do you want me to bury him?" I ask uncomfortably.

Katniss stare at me.

"Look I don't mean any disrespect but we have a baby at home-"

"LINA!"

She pushes Gale off her lap and jumps up from the cot. "I completely forgot…I hope she's ok…"

And with that, she runs past me, out of the cabin.

"Well that was easy…" I mutter to myself.

I very slowly make my way over to Gale-or what's left of him. The room smells absolutely awful, and the sooner I get this over with the better.

~Katniss~

"Mom? Lina?" I yell as I burst through the doorway.

"Where have you _been_?" mother asks as she comes hurrying down the stairs.

"I'm so sorry mother, it's just that gale died and I lost track of time-"

"What? Gale died?"

"Never mind. I'll tell you later. Give me my baby," I grab Lina from her arms.

"Oh, so _now_ you care," she mumbles.

"Just because I'm sleep deprived, doesn't mean I don't care," I snap at her.

I look down at baby Lina. She _is_ beautiful. Even if she doesn wake me up 10 times a night. I finally admit to myself, that peeta was right. I'll have to apologize later.

I hear the front door open and there is more screaming.

"What is it now?" I think. I'm not even at Lina's door yet, when mother rushes up behind me.

"Katniss quick! Give me Lina! Go downstairs!"

I run downstairs (again) to find Peeta carrying Delly in his arms, flailing around.

"Put me down, Peeta! Let me die!" she screams.

It takes hours to calm her down. When she finally stops scraming she goes to whisper/mutter voice.

"Katniss?"

"Yes, Delly?"

"You want to know what I did to help Gale?"

"I don't know…do I?"

Peeta goes quiet. I'm scared now.

"I kissed him. I kissed him a lot and it was so wonderful," she's staring into space looking all teary-eyed and wistful.

"…I told him I loved him. He said he _wished_ he loved me. He was so delusional…but I kissed him and it was wonderful. But…but now he's gone!"

I'm not sure why I find this funny, but it's really hard not to laugh. She sounds like a little kid. A little kid who got her favorite toy taken away.

"Delly? I finally manage to ask.

"Yes?"

"would you like to see baby LIna?"

Her eyes brighten and the tears stop.

"Sure!"

So I finally told Peeta that he was right. (He made me write it down) Delly officially moved in next door with Autumn. They help with the baby tremendously. They "volunteered" after mom went back to work at the hospital. Lina had beautiful brown hair and bright blue eyes. (another thing Peeta was right about) I can't wait for it to get longer so I can braid it.

Autumn keeps begging me to have another baby. And of course so does Peeta. Every time he asks I ask him if he would like me to describe the excruciating pain I was in. That shuts him up.

We try to forget about Gale. The baby keeps us busy. Sometimes I catch Delly looking dreamy-eyed into the distance, mourning Gale. I try the hardest not to think about it. I have known him the longest, I guess. I don't even ask Peeta where he buried him. I don't want to know. I just want to forget.

*****So it's not the **_**best**_** ending in the world, but I couldn't exactly have Katniss go into a depression because that would defeat the whole purpose. The point was for Gale to go crazy and die. If you have any ideas whatsoever about how I can make it better or maybe even add another chapter, PLEASE TELL ME!**

**Just want to say some thank you's to all of those POSITIVE reviewers who understand that I am TEAM PEETA. And that this was most definitely a Gale Bashing story. Sorry to those who hated it because I killed Gale. (it just had to happen)**

**THANK YOU FOR YOUR REVIEWS ANYWAY! **

**cloveisaninja**


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